The Generous Night
by Tim Curry's Tits
Summary: Takes place mid-comic and squeezes nicely in between events. Rorschach x Nite Owl. Near the end there is mature events, so if you do not wish to read, just skip over it or don't read at all!


"RORSCHACH'S JOURNAL.

OCTOBER 21st, 1985:

Someone tried to kill Veidt. Proves 'mask killer' theory. Murderer is closing in.

Checked maildrop. Message from Moloch. Connected perhaps?

Next, went to retrieve face from alley. Outside Utopia, police restrained a youth on KT-28S.

He was screaming something about president Nixon. Something about bombs.

This relentless world: There is only one sane response to it.

The alleyway was cold and deserted.

My things were where I'd left them.

Waiting for me.

Putting them on, I abandoned by disguise and became myself, free from fear or weakness or lust.

My coat, my shoes, my spotless gloves.

My face.

Had three hours before calling on Moloch.

Away down alley, heard woman scream, first bubbling note of city's evening chorus.

Approached disturbance. An attempted rape/mugging/both.

Cleared throat. The man turned and there was something rewarding in his eyes.

Sometimes, the night is generous to me."

_- Watchmen_, Chapter V, page 18

* * *

Dan had let Laurie stay at his place tonight, though because she was at his house, probably undressing, Dan felt rather alone as he undressed himself and lay in his bed with no one beside him. He cursed softly under his breath: "Hell and damnation." If he had wanted her, why didn't he just say so? Was he afraid that she might reject him, or would he feel guilty about sleeping with her when her thoughts and heart may be still so close to when she and Jon broke up?

He troubled thoughts kept him awake much of the night until he noted a small commotion downstairs. Sighing heavily, he put on a light robe to cover himself and setting his glasses on his nose before he went out of his room and down to the kitchen to check on things. He thought maybe Laurie was fixing herself something to eat before bed, or maybe she was just getting a glass of water, but lo and behold a familiar figure in a trench-coat was standing in the middle of his kitchen, once again raiding his supply of sugarcubes.

"Rorschach?" Dan asked, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses before approaching the mysterious man and long-time friend of his.

Rorschach turned to face him and unwrapped one of the sugar cubes. He pulled up his mask to his nose before tossing the cube into his mouth. He chewed with a small 'cronch cronch cronch' before the cube dissolved and he found himself willing to talk to the retired Nite Owl as he pulled down his mask once more: "Daniel."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and didn't even want to look at what he knew was going to be another doorknob and lock that were broken at his front door. Rorschach had a habit of making his life a bit more difficult for him.

"I had some time to kill," Rorschach used as an answer, though it really hadn't answered Dan's question.

"So you just decided to break in and steal my… my… what are those? Sugar cubes?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest with a small sigh. He continued as Rorschach made no move to reply; "Are you… alright? I know this whole 'mask killer' is on your mind, but—"

"Veidt was attacked. An assassin was sent after him. Just watch your back," Rorschach said as he put his hands in his pockets, his mask ever changing and ever unreadable.

Dan's anger started to dissipate once he understood that Rorschach was actually concerned about his safety. "I'll be fine, Rorschach, I can take care of myself," he replied.

Rorschach, however, was quick to cut in, "You should really spend good money on a better lock then. Easy to break in. Easier to get out."

"Did you come here to check on me or are you… just being you?" he asked, though he had to admit that Rorschach's company was nice after the feeling of loneliness that Laurie had left him with. He noted Rorschach's musty smell that most people complained of when they first met him, but to Dan it smelled familiar, and as welcome to him as the fresh scent of the pages of a new book.

"Just a friendly warning. Even if you don't believe me, be careful."

The two of them stared at each other a long while, unmoving, before Dan felt the need to break the silence. "So… what leads are you talking about?" he asked finally, moving to lean against the counter to make himself some coffee; he wasn't going to sleep anyway.

"Someone may have some information. I'm meeting him tonight. Hopefully not pointless," he said with a small shrug, and with that, Dan knew that he wouldn't be able to get anything more from the other man.

As he waited for the coffee, Dan looked back at Rorschach and that feeling on loneliness clawed at him again. Did Rorschach ever feel like that? Somehow Dan couldn't make himself believe that Rorschach was completely devoid of emotion. He must be fairly lonely after all these years. After all, they had worked together until Nite Owl had hung up his cowl for what he assumed to be the last time. In all honesty, Dan did miss his nights with Rorschach, and once the two of them had been thick and thieves. Now what were they? Dan hardly even knew what Rorschach was thinking anymore, and Rorschach only came around once or twice over the past years, though more frequently as of late.

Dan snapped out of his ponderings as Rorschach stirred under his gaze and asked him, "What?"

"Oh, uh… nothing. It's late, I must be half-asleep or something," he said before gesturing to the coffee. With his excuse guarding his gaze, he wondered vaguely what was under Rorschach's mask. Maybe another mask of a kind. He'd never seen Rorschach without it, and he wasn't sure that Rorschach would even _be_ Rorschach without it.

Another silence settled between them before Dan decided to break it once again; "So if you didn't come here to talk about your lead, what exactly did you come here for? You've already warned me about this killer, though I'm still not convinced he's out there… Are you in trouble or something?"

"Just have this feeling like…" Rorschach started to say, but he stopped abruptly and that unreadable mask looked at Dan with a feeling as if Dan was being analyzed or something to that effect. Rorschach continued softly, "Don't matter. Just wanted to make sure you were safe."

At the feeling that he had said too much, Rorschach turned to leave, but Dan caught the shorter man by the arm and Rorschach didn't make a move to get away. Rorschach just looked back at Dan quietly, and Dan reached out to brush his fingers against that strange and always changing mask. Rorschach flinched and moved away from the touch, but Dan moved his hand away so not to scare Rorschach away.

Dan was absolutely miserable in his loneliness, and now he knew that he was the closest thing to a friend Rorschach likely had. He just felt like he needed some form of comfort and before he could stop himself, he said softly, "Don't go… please. Rorschach, I… I want you to stay."

Rorschach's unreadable mask studied Dan for a long while. Dan felt as if he'd done something wrong and gulped nervously as he removed his hand from Rorschach's arm. Still, the shorter masked man made no move to leave as he continued studying Dan.

After what seemed like an eternity to Dan, Rorschach finally spoke. "Doesn't make sense," he said in his usual gruff way, and shifted his weight to his other foot as he turned to face Dan and looked at him once more.

"Wh-what doesn't make sense?" Dan asked, though he cleared his throat afterwards as if to attribute the stutter to his throat instead of the butterflies gnawing on his stomach lining.

"You. This. Any of this," Rorschach replied before his spotless gloves reached out and fumbled with the lining of Dan's robe. "I'm not supposed to…" he said, trailing off before taking his hands off Dan and moving towards the door once again.

"Not supposed to do what, Rorschach? We're only talking…" Dan said, making excuses, though now he didn't have the heart to follow Rorschach. He'd be alone again, like always.

Rorschach paused by the slightly ajar front door and looked back towards Dan. "I'm supposed to be free of it all. I'm not. Not with you," he replied, as if Dan knew what he was talking about.

"Free of what?" Dan asked, though his tone was hopeful now that Rorschach was talking back towards him.

"Free of fear. Free of weakness. Free of—" he started, but as he reached Dan, he took off the man's glasses before he continued in a softer tone, "Free of lust."

"Lust?" Dan asked softly before he realized just why Rorschach was here to begin with. He realized why Rorschach was always so concerned for him, and before the masked man could pull away once again, Dan tugged at Rorschach's white scarf.

Both men were silent for a while as Dan pulled off Rorschach's white scarf and let it fall to the ground before Rorschach's hat followed soon afterwards. Dan reached for Rorschach's mask, but Rorschach murmured softly, "Don't…" in a voice that Dan had never heard before; a nervous Rorschach was a hard thing for Dan to wrap his head around.

Dan smiled reassuringly at his former partner before he pulled the mask gingerly up to Rorschach's nose before bending down to kiss those mysterious lips. Rorschach's lips were rough and chapped, but his face felt freshly clean-shaven and the kiss from Rorschach's end was hesitant and unsure. Dan cradled Rorschach's neck as he continued the kiss slowly; trying to assure Rorschach that he was safe with him. They could trust one another.

After a short while, Dan felt Rorschach start to relax and one of Rorschach's hands wrapped gingerly around Dan's waist, still naïve and unsure. It was like teaching Rorschach to dance when he had never done so before. Dan opened his eyes and pulled away from the kiss slowly before he decided he might as well ask; "Do you want to go upstairs…?"

All thoughts of Laurie and the coffee were forgotten as the two ascended the stairs as Dan lead and Rorschach followed. He'd pulled his mask down again, though mostly out of comfort than necessity. Dan had taken his glasses back just to get up the stairs, but once they were alone in his room with the door shut behind them, Rorschach turned down the lights and the glasses were basically useless. Dan set the glasses on the bedside table before he turned to Rorschach and helped him out of his trench-coat, revealing a white wife-beater beneath, not to mention that Rorschach was absolutely ripped. Dan even felt a bit ashamed of his own body gone soft while Rorschach was still in mint condition with all things considered.

As Rorschach hesitated with the belt of his pants, Dan shed his robe and kissed the fabric of Rorschach's mask to assure him that this was alright. With Rorschach undressed in all but his mask, Dan lead him back to the bed and rolled his mask up to his nose so he could kiss the vigilante once again. Dan could tell by the freckles (among other things) that the Rorschach he had known for all these years actually had red hair, and that somewhat surprised Dan. He'd just never pictured Rorschach with such a bright hair colour.

They lay next to each other in the dark kissing softly before the nervous Rorschach managed to relax enough that his surprisingly soft hands started to explore the other male's body. Dan started to gingerly move his hips against Rorschach's, showing the still masked vigilante that he'd already gotten Dan quite aroused. All his cares melted away under Rorschach's fingers and before long Dan relieved Rorschach of his worries and troubles under only the eyes of the moonlight outside Dan's window.

Once Rorschach got used to the rhythm of Dan's hips brushing against his own, Dan continued to push Rorschach's comfort barrier as he groped his behind and moved his fingers along Rorschach's entrance. Rorschach moved closer to Dan, still moving his hips along with the former Nite Owl's before he ducked his head under Dan's chin for comfort and Dan held him close quietly; he knew that Rorschach would stop him if he felt uncomfortable.

Dan reached behind him to the bedside table where his glasses were, but opened the drawer and groped around in the dark before eh found what he had been looking for: a small bottle of lube. He poured some into his hand before he moved some onto his own length while his other hand busied itself by pleasuring Rorschach to distract him from what Dan assumed would be unfamiliar probing in a moment. Dan heard Rorschach's breath quicken as he inserted a finger into Rorschach's entrance to prepare him, but Dan bent his neck slightly to kiss Rorschach once more.

Once Dan had prepared Rorschach enough for what was to come, he moved the half-masked man onto his back and slowly got between his legs. He wanted so much to release all of his inhibitions and thrust into Rorschach without abandon, but he had a feeling that this was Rorschach's first time, and he wanted to take things slow so he wouldn't make Rorschach's decision to trust him be in vain. Rorschach had tensed at first, but with soft and affectionate kisses from Dan, soon enough Rorschach loosened up enough for Dan to actually start moving inside of Rorschach.

The first sound that came from either of them were soft moans as Rorschach pulled Dan closer while the younger man thrust into him. Rorschach had always seen sex as sinful and disgusting, but with Dan, somehow this all felt different. If there really was a 'mask killer' out there, he didn't want to live his life half-way, and that was really what pushed him to come to Dan's tonight before he would drop in on Moloch. He'd stayed away for so long because he had felt betrayed when Daniel had hung up his cape and cowl so easily in '76, but now he felt close to the truth and didn't want to risk not being able to show Dan how he'd always felt for him.

"D-Dan…" Rorschach's gruff voice murmured softly before Dan silenced him with a sweet kiss. Rorschach's pleasure was soaring higher than he'd ever thought possible and it was he this time who deepened the kiss between them as his fingers gripped his partner's thick brown hair and tugged gingerly as he moaned out through the kiss. Rorschach arched his back off the mattress as he gasped softly to break the kiss. He could feel Dan's lips travel down under his chin to his neck and that was what finally pushed him over the edge to his climax. He felt himself tense, and with a low moan from Dan, he felt the younger man release inside of him.

They both panted in the dark room and Rorschach held Dan close against him, holding the man inside of him for what seemed like a long while before Dan pulled out of him to lay beside him. Rorschach looked over at Dan as the other man's chest rose and fell before he turned over on his side to face Dan. Dan noticed the shift and looked at him, and it was then Rorschach gave him a last passionate kiss.

As Rorschach got dressed, Dan pulled the covers over himself and found himself asking, "Do you really have to go?"

Rorschach nodded gruffly and pulled the mask over his face before he paused a moment to remember that his scarf and hat were on the floor downstairs. He moved his now gloved hand back through Dan's hair and watched as Dan closed his eyes to savour the touch. "I won't be gone forever," he said before he left the room to collect his things and conduct his night like he had planned.

* * *

"RORSCHACH'S JOURNAL.

OCTOBER 21st, 1985:

…Sometimes, the night is generous to me."

_- Watchmen_, Chapter V, page 18


End file.
